


Gamblignant~Bent

by JeckParadox



Category: Homestuck, One Piece
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - No Sburb/Sgrub Sessions, Characters as trolls, Crossover, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Multi, Origins, quadrants
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2014-04-12
Packaged: 2018-01-09 00:58:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1139559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeckParadox/pseuds/JeckParadox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A tale of the Captain Luffey and his troll crew of Gamblignants. A tale of their ancestors, caught up in their own ancient quest. A tale of a true Gamblignant where the rest of the world believes it only to be a position in a game.<br/>A Homestuck and One Piece Crossover.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Captain and the Gamblignant King

_“King!” shouted the crowds, some cheering, some mourning, some laughing, some crying. “KING!!”_

_“There will be silence in the courtblock!” Shouted the legislacerator, turning toward the accused. “Silence I say!” She growled, turning toward the massive monster behind her uneasily. His Tyranny would not stand for this._

_“THERE WILL BE SILENCE IN THIS COURTBLOCK!!” Came a reverberating cry, and the Legislacerator turned toward the source and fell to her knees._

_“Y-your imperiousness…” The legislacerator said quietly, bowing low to the seatroll with the flowing black locks. There was a sound as row upon row of spectators bowed on each other’s backs to the fuchsia-blooded monarch. There was a great rumbling as even the Honorable Tyranny bent down to place his head lower to the ground._

_Less than five seconds after her appearance, there were now only two trolls standing at their full height._

_“So… you’re the one, eh? The last great Gamblignant.”_

_He grinned a wide, cheerful, grin. “King of the Gamblignants, if you please.”_

_She didn’t seem to mind his attitude. She’d cull just about anyone else for daring to stand, but then again, he was already tied to the rope, wasn’t he? She just smiled in return for his smile. It was infectious. “There are no Kings. But then again, you Gamblignants always have enjoyed pretendin to be Seatrolls, goin around on your ships on the oceans, givin each other fancy royal titles.”_

_“Shihehehehe….” His laugh was strange, but it made her smile even wider. “Maybe so! I didn’t choose the title! But I like it!”_

_“I’m not sure whether or not to have your existence struck from recorded history yet. If I don’t, would you prefer I kept your ‘title’ in it?”_

_He looked her in the eye and his smile grew impossibly larger. “I don’t think you have a say in the matter! Shihehehehehe… I’ve made a pretty big show, after all! I’ll be hard to forget!”_

_Her eyes narrowed. “Legislacerator, continue the trial.”_

_“Yes, your Imperious Condescension!” She shouted too quickly, rising to her feet and turning on the Accused. “You have been accused of innumerable accounts of piracy, assault, treason, rebellion, revolution, supporting revolution, acting against seadwellers, insulting the Condesce, theft, murder, pillaging of those of higher castes, showing contempt for the hemospectrum, killing culling drones, and-“_

_“Showing condescension to the Condescension.” The Condescension added._

_The legislacerator simply nodded and added it to the record.  “Shall I bring up witnesses, or would you like to add your own testimony before his Honorable Tyranny?”_

_“I’d like to give my own testimony.” He said._

_The legislacerator stepped away, leading the accused to stand before the Tyranny by the rope still around his neck. “You may begin.” At this point of the courtblock process, the Tyranny would consume the accused before the testimony was complete. She would have preferred a hanging, but being consumed by the Tyranny was just as traditional and honorable._

_He took in a deep breath, before turning around to the spectators, holding his arms out to the sides. “I admit to it all! I admit to it with pride, with my whole being!” He smiled, and the Tyranny roared, moving from his spot and opening his jaw to consume the Pirate King. “But before I die…” The jaws were nearly upon him. “…I’m sure you want to know what I’ve done with my treasure.” The Condesce’s eyes widened, and with a gesture the Tyranny stopped in it’s tracks, black drool hanging inches away from the Gamblignant’s head._

_“…Your horde… We couldn’t find it.” The Legislacerator admitted._

_“I’m going to be dead soon!” He said too happily, but not in a suicidal way in the slightest. “I don’t need it! So… I’m going to give it up to anyone who wants it!” Cheering was heard that reverberated through the halls._

_He turned to the spectators of all blood castes, of all dwellers, “My fortune is yours for the taking… but you’ll have to find it first!”_

_“I left everything I own…”_

_“In one piece.”_

_The Condesce glared at him. She had a weakness for gold, it was true. He had dangled it in front of her face and yanked it back, taunting her. He had to die. “EXECUTE HIM!!!!” She roared, and the Legislacerator brandished his swords, and the Tyranny roared, and the rope came taught, and he was dead, no one knew by which._

_She looked at the maroon red blood. The most common blood possible. The lowest of the lowest caste. She grimaced. He had looked down on her. He taunted her. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the crowds of trolls of all castes as they left the stadium, not a single one looking at her, all of them focused completely at the thought of gold on the seas. She was tempted to reach out and pull them back with her psychic power, murder all of them, or have them all feed themselves to the condescension, but no… already they were out of her reach, already they were sending messages. Already the world was learning of the Gamblignant King._

_He wouldn’t even let her properly erase him. She turned to the Legislacerator. “…What’s your title, legislacerator?”_

_“The Hero.” He said, with a bow._

_“…I want you to contact the Grand Highblood… and the violet court. I want you to build something… to… I don know, handle this glubbin mess! I give you authority over the Marine Culling force, and will allow you to take in troll recruits from any caste.”_

_His eyes widened. “If… you don’t mind me asking… why all this all of a sudden?”_

_“We thought we were looking at the end of the Gamblignants… we thought they took too many big risks, and that this was their last one. I thought it was his last risk… I thought he failed…. But his gamble succeeded.” She hissed the last part. “He gambled his life… and it paid off.”_

_“M’lady?”_

_“We are going to see a wave of Gamblignants hit the seas unlike any in history. **This… this glubbin @#$%blood started a new age of piracy all by himself in less than five seconds!!!”** She roared. _

\-----------------

“Ah!!! A brand new day!” He grinned widely, letting the sea breeze ruffle his hat. “Oi!!! Red-Hair!!!” He called out to the red haired Gamblignant as he climbed onto his ship.

“Eh? Luffey? What are you doing here?!”

“I’m going to come along with you while you FLARP!” He said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

The older troll, but not too old, seeing as he was still planet-side sighed. “Luffey… Luffey… Luffey. How many times do I have to say it?! Flarping is not for Wrigglers!!”

“I’m not a wriggler!”

“You are so a wriggler! You’re barely over three sweeps!”

“No! I’m three sweeps and 1/5!!”

The flarper sighed, looking down at him. “Listen, Luffey. Flarping is really dangerous. Trolls die, they get hurt, they come out different. Sometimes you get treasure, sometimes you have a lot of fun, sometimes you come out on top. But it’s a gamble, and you’ll lose just as many times. Most trolls with moirails don’t play, because it’s risky, and in the end, it won’t do much for you. Besides, you know all I do are sea campaigns, and you can’t even swim.”

“Then why do you do it?”

Red Hair smiled. “I’m a gambling man.”

Luffey pouted. “What if I learned how to swim? Would you let me join then?”

Red Hair grinned slightly. “I’d give it a little more consideration.”

Luffey nodded and charged off, to go play in the shallows of the water. Red Hair sighed slightly and turned to Bekman. “What am I going to do with that wriggler?”

“Why don’t you just let him come along? If he dies, he dies, oh well. At least he would die doing what he wanted and having fun with his role model.”

Red Hair sighed slightly.

“As opposed to dying because of the other reason…”

Red Hair winced slightly. “I… I don’t know. I just don’t want to see him get hurt.”

Bekman raised an eyebrow. “You getting pale for a wriggler?”

“No, no… but some similar humour. Perhaps I just have this troll disease called friendship.”

Bekman smiled. “Let’s get going, Captain.”

\--------------

Luffey sat in Makino’s bar, swishing some hoofbeast milk in a bottle. It was generally thought to be an unmanly drink, as opposed to rum or some other soporific, but he heard from a passing Blueblood that it made you STRONG, so he had taken up the habit of drinking it.

Makino smiled down at him and ruffled his hair as she passed, smiling as Luffey tried in vain to swat away her hand. The olive green blooded girl looked up as the ringing device for the door rang, and she smiled to see Red Hair and his group walk in. “Hello Red Hair, how’s it going?” She asked casually, the Gamblignant coming over to sit on the stool next to Luffey, ruffling the smaller troll’s hair with even more complaint. She lifted up a bottle. “Finest rum in the house, heh, actually the only rum, to celebrate your return.”

“Thanks! We’re doing pretty fine actually, we just took a rather sizable bounty.”

“That’s nice, care to sponsor the bar with some of that bounty?” She asked happily.

“Maybe.” He looked down at Luffey. “So, Wriggler, have you learned to swim yet?”

“…no…” Red Hair sighed, it was as he thought. “But I’m trying really hard! Soon I’ll be able to swim better than you!”

“Hah! Yeah right, the Captain can outswim the Heiress!” Shouted one of his crew.

“Liar!” Luffey shouted, hitting Red Hair for his crewmember’s boast.

Red Hair chuckled and pushed Luffey of his chair. “Well, I guess we’ll have to wait til next time to take you with, won’t we?”

“I… Is that a promise?” Luffey asked cautiously.

“Nope! Not until you learn how to swim, it’s the most basic skill you need to have in a sea campaign!”

“Darn it.” Luffey sighed. Suddenly the door swung open and then off its hinges.

“Yoh, where can a flarper get a drink?!” Shouted the newest customer, a tough looking older teen, with cerulean blue coming into his eyes.

Makino gave a business smile and asked sweetly; “What would you like?”

“How about… everything you own?” He asked, drawing an axe from his specibus.

Makino narrowed her eyes. “I thought you flarpers agreed taverns were neutral areas.”

“Oh? Maybe the sea-dweller wannabes, but us mountain campaigners don’t have any rules about this stuff. If you wanted to live peacefully, you chose the wrong coast.” He grinned savagely, pulling up alongside Red-Hair. “But… I’ll make you a deal, serve me the best rum you got, and if I like it enough I’ll leave with nothing damaged but the door.”

Makino frowned slightly, beginning to get nervous and looking to Red-Hair for support. “I’m… sorry, but I just gave the last of our rum stock to the Gamblignants…”

“…Is that so?” The blue blood asked slowly, spinning his axe in a circular motion.

“Sorry, my bad, I ordered the last bottle!” Red-Hair said jovially, smiling. “If you’d like, we can share-“

The bandit grabbed the bottle and smashed it over Red-Hair’s head. “Share?! What kind of Flarper are you?! Ugh… with idiots like this in this town, the bar’ll be destroyed anyway. We can find better drink elsewhere… but the next time we come… you better have rum in stock.” He smashed the other door down on his way out.

The Gamblignant watched and began to laugh.

“Red Hair!!!” Luffey growled.

“What?”

“You could have beat him easily! Why didn’t you just kill him? He even broke your rum over your head, and you’re not even mad?!”

“Hehe, it’s just a drink. There was no harm done.”

“Red Hair….” Luffey began, confused. “I don’t get it! You say I have to be ready to die and get killed, but when something happens right in front of you you don’t even want to fight?!”

“Luffey… it’s different. There are people worth fighting with your heart and soul, and people who aren’t worth a single punch. You’ve got to be savage on the seas, but at the same time, you should relax when you can. There are some gambles you don’t want to take after all.”

“I… I don’t get it. Gamblignants are supposed to act according to their luck, provoke everything and then use it to your advantage!” Luffey quoted from some manual or other on Flarp that he had picked up.

“Heheh, Luffey, that’s not all there is to it… you’ll get it when you’re more experienced, I think.”

Luffey furrowed his brow and began walking out the bar. “Makino, I’ll pay you back for the milk, just put it on my treasure tab!”

Makino rolled her eyes, but smiled as the little troll walked out the tavern. “I worry about him sometimes.” She said, turning to the Captain.

“Heh, me too. He’ll be an amazing Gamblignant… though he’ll be a terrible flarper.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing… just… mumbling to myself.”

\----------

Luffey stared in horror at the rust-red that flowed from Red-Hair’s shoulder and into the water. “Red Hair…” He gasped, “Y-you’re arm!!”

“…don’t worry about it. It’s just an arm. I almost lost an entire you.”

“B-but… b…” Luffey just began to cry, a similar shade of red flowing from his eyes.

“Hey…. You’re okay. You’re okay.” He papped his face slightly, before beginning to swim toward shore. “Just relax…” He whispered, eventually reaching the shore with the child.

“Wh-why? What am I to you? Why would I be worth losing your arm!? Do you pity me?”

“Luffey…. I don’t pity you. In fact, I think I envy you.” Red Hair sat on the beach next to the crying child. “You’re going to make something of yourself, I can tell.”

“…Red-Hair?”

“Yeah?”

“…I’m a mutant.”

“I know.”

“That’s why I can’t swim…”

“I know.”

“That’s why I stretch… you knew?”

“Yes.”

“So why did you save my life?! I’m going to be culled anyway when I grow up… I just wanted to have fun with you as a wriggler. I’m not going to be anything great! I can’t, not with this mutation! I wasn’t worth saving!”

“Luffey…. Don’t ever say that again. You might get culled, but not until you’ve fought tooth and nail against it. You are going to be the greatest Gamblignant that ever touched the seas, understand? I can feel it. I know it. And I want you to prove it to me.”

Luffey stopped crying for a while, staring at the Captain. Red Hair reached up to his head and pulled off his hat, pushing it on top of Luffey’s head and smiling. It seemed to fit well, despite the large horns. “Give that hat back to me when you’ve become a great Gamblignant.” He got up, walking toward town, leaving the kid to stare at the retreating back.

\----------

Luffey watched as the ship took off, taking millions of young adult trolls to meet their destiny, taking Red Hair, no, Shanks, with it. He would have to get into space some day, in order to keep his promise.

That meant he couldn’t get culled. He grinned widely, pulling the hat close and letting out a loud whoop. He was now six sweeps old. And he was starting his journey.

It was a simple boat at first, with only him aboard, but as he went on, more and more joined him. He went from island to island, gathering comrades and fighting off marine drones.

He had an adventure.

He had the time of his life.

This is the story of LUFFEY MONKEY, a troll of the LOWEST BLOOD POSSIBLE, who sets off on a journey to take the title of GAMBLIGNANT KING, before he gets CULLED for his bizarre stretchy MUTATION.

This is the story of his journey, of his friends, his clade, his crew, their ancestors, and him.

This is GAMBLIGNANT STUCK.

 

__


	2. The Bushido and the Swordsman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I leave it to all of you to make the "Warned about the stairs" jokes.

_Chapter 2._

_“Hey there.” He glanced upward, frowning at the silhouette that was blocking the sunlight._

_“Hu-?” He asked, slightly dazed and in a great deal of pain._

_“Shehehe, not too smart are you? Sleeping in broad daylight like this, on a pile of sand in the middle of the ocean of all places!”_

_“H-how?” He asked, trying to get up._

_“How what?” He said cheerily._

_“How are you standing so calmly in the sun!? How did you find me?!”_

_“Shehehe, I’ve got some decent gear, as for finding you, it was merely your luck.”_

_“Don’t believe in it.”_

_“Oh?”_

_His stomach rumbled and he crawled to get more of himself under the shadow. Trolls weren’t meant for sunlight. He was just lucky he blood was green enough he didn’t start combusting. He reached for his sword, holding onto it and using it to steady himself. “…how did you come here?” He asked suspiciously, trying to get up, his body groaning in complain as he raised himself to his full height, standing slightly taller than the troll in front of him. He wobbled slightly, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to collapse in the presence of a challenger._

_Or a savior._

_“On a boat.” He said good-naturedly. “Want to come aboard? We have a few extra recuperacoons you could use.”_

_“…I’ll… accept your hospitality.” He followed the shorter troll, with a wide straw hat and flowing red cloak. “…What are you doing this far out in the ocean?” He asked, reaching behind his head and self-consciously tying a topknot over the third horn on the back of his head. It wasn’t that severe of a mutation, not cull-worthy, but it wasn’t exactly something you wanted to display in front a troll who might be of a higher caste. At least he didn’t have green hair._

_“I could ask the same thing!” The troll replied. “Though… if you must know, I’m searching for treasure.” He smiled a wide grin. “I made a fairly good roll recently, and I want to know how long my luck’ll hold out.”_

_“…Hmph.” The sun-burnt troll replied, stopping himself from sighing in relief as they boarded the vessel and went below deck, the darkness welcomed him, and for the first time in nights, his skin had stopped burning._

_He was led to a recuperacoons in a room full of them, recuperacoons of various sizes laid across the room. He glanced in one of them, seeing a vaguely fish-like face looking back at him. “Sea dwellers…” He said to himself._

_“Shehehehe… not all.” He looked back at the other troll as he pulled off the sun-suit. Revealing his rust-red eyes for the first time. “Welcome aboard, I’m ‘the Captain’.”_

_“…My title is ‘The Bushido’.”_

_“Ah! A swordsman, that’s always useful!” The Captain replied, “So, what’s your name?”_

_“…We’re both adults here. Names are for wrigglers.”_

_“My name is Rouger Monkey. Friends call me ‘Gold Roger’.”_

_The Bushido raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know anything about you. Why should I tell you my name?”_

_“You know my name.” The Captain pointed out. “And besides, you’re on my ship, in my shade, about to rest in my recuperacoon, I can at least get the name of the pathetic urchin I’ve rescued.”_

_“I-“ He growled, about to summon his black katana, Shusui. But he held back, he bowed his head slightly, honor dictating he show gratitude. “…My… apologies. My wriggler name was Silver Ryuuma.”_

_“Gold and silver…” The Captain said with a smile. “I like it! You’re joining my crew!”_

_“What?! Of course not, I’m not going to subject myself to being the subordinate of some crazy rust-blood..”_

_“So you care about all that blood stuff?” He seemed somehow amused by all this._

_“Honor guides me. It’s the only thing that guides me. It is honorable to give the proper respect to those of higher castes and requiring the proper respect of those of castes lower than you.”_

_“Huh.” The Captain responded. With that a massive sea dweller rose from his recuperacoon, rubbing some slime from his eyes._

_“Captain? Who’s this fellow?” asked the sea dweller, raising an eyebrow._

_“Don’t worry Tom, he’s just a castaway I found on a desert island while I was on lookout.”_

_The sea dweller gave a wide smile at this. “Ta-ha-ha! Welcome to the crew! You look a little sun-scorched, should I wake up Crocus?”_

_“Nah, what he needs is a good soak in some sopor.” The Captain replied._

_The Bushido glanced back and forth at the casually speaking trolls. The top and bottom of the hemospectrum, respectively. Perhaps one of the redder quadrants? “You were going to give him yours, Captain?” Tom asked, shaking his head. “Nonsense. You’ve been awake long enough, I’ll take over for now.” He clapped the back of the Bushido in a friendly gesture. “You can have my recuperacoon for now!” He said jovially._

_“Uh, no, I couldn’t possibly sleep in your-“_

_“Nonsense! Ta-ha-ha!!” He practically picked up the olive-blood swordsman and unceremoniously dumped him into the recuperacoon, the sedatives and healing properties of the liquid providing relief even greater than that of darkness on his sun-scorched skin. “Sweet dreams.” He said, jovially, before putting on his own sun-suit. “You too, Captain!”_

_The Captain gave a nod of thanks to Tom before climbing into his own recuperacoon, and falling asleep to the very audible snoring of the now-sleeping Bushido._

_-2-2-2-2-_

_He sat in the stands as his captain, once The Captain, now and forever more The Gamblignant King, was torn apart by the Tyranny.  He smiled as the crowds rose and roared and cheered and rushed out to sea. A new age of Gamblignants would begin with Rouger’s death. He clutched Shusui in his emotion, and olive-green tears rolled down his cheeks as he began to laugh. “You did it, Captain.” He said simply. He got up, no one recognizing the Dark King Silver ‘Rayleigh’ Ryuuma, acknowledged as the greatest swordsman born to trollkind, in their excitement. And he calmly walked out of the stadium._

_One chapter of his life came to a close as millions of other trolls had theirs beginning. What would he do next?_

_“Perhaps a dojo…” He whispered to himself. “Not enough trolls get proper sword training.”_

_-2-2-2-2-_

“That’s 1999 losses, Zorroe.” Said the girl, raising an eyebrow and giving a cruel smirk. “Losing again and again to a little brown-blood girl? How pathetic. And you still hope to become a Masscreteer.” She shrugged as if it were the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

“Oh yeah?! Zorroe aint weak!” One of the other boys shouted, “You’ve just been getting special training from the master!”

“Zorroe can even fight with highbloods!” One of the boys bragged.

“Oh? Well he’s still weaker than me.” She gave an evil-looking smirk. “Even when he uses two swords he’s still useless!” She stalked away, recalling her wooden sword into her strife specibus and glaring back at Zorroe with a smile.

“Grr… that girl…” Zorroe growled. “…I _hate_ her so much…”

The boys sensed the approach of their master and turned to bow to the older teenager, a brownblood of the same sign as Kuinah. A sibling. A descendent of the same ancestral line. “Ah, so you lost once again, Zorroe.” He said simply, a calm smile on his face.

“Master, you’ve been training her in secret! Haven’t you!?!” One of the kids shouted, jerking a wooden sword accusatively in the older troll’s direction.

“Just because she’s related to you!”

“No, no, nothing of the sort.” He said calmly.

“Darn it!” Zorroe shouted, throwing his swords to the ground and sighing in frustration. “Why can’t I beat her?!”

“She’s older than you, Zorroe.”

“I’ve beaten trolls older than you! I bet I could beat adults and highbloods!” He growled in exchange. “I’m going to travel the seas and then the stars and be proven the best Swordsman in the Galaxy! I won’t lose to anyone ever again!”

_-2-2-2-2-_

“Fight me!” Zorroe growled. He threw down a sword. “With _real_ swords.”

She merely smiled a sad smile. “Sure.”

Zorroe pulled out his own dual blades and dived for her, she drew her own blade and the duel began. The ring of metal and the clash of swords sang for almost three minutes before a blade was to Zorroe’s throat, holding him to the ground, his own swords knocked a meter away.

“That makes my 2000th victory.” She said, looking down into his eyes.

“Damn it!!! I… I don’t believe this?! Why can’t I win?!”

She climbed off of him and sheathed her sword, leaving it next to his own swords. “The one… who should be upset is me.” She whispered.

He raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?!”

“…When we get older, lowbloods are weaker than midbloods and highbloods… we’ll always lose out in physical strength. I’m going to fall behind you soon.” She sighed. “You want to be the number one swordsman in the galaxy? …Master says a lowblood will never be the number one swordsman.” Orange-brown tears began to well up in her eyes. “…I want to be the best too… I wish I were-“

“NO!” He roared. “You’re telling me this after all this?! After you’ve beaten me so soundly so many times?!” He was close to crying himself. “That’s unfair! You’re my goal, my ambition! I hate you more than anyone else in the whole world, and you expect me to pity you because of your blood?!” Zorroe growled. “You torment me with depreciating your own skill after beating me like this?!”

She looked up at him. “…You... hate me?” She asked, blushing brown slightly.

“You’re saying if I ever beat you it won’t be because of my own strength?!” Zorroe hissed, stamping in place and picking up his dual swords once again. “You’re putting all my training and ambition to waste, insulting everything I’ve done in my life!!” He roared. “Of course I hate you; you’re my rival, my goal, and you mock that!” He narrowed his eyes.

“Let’s make a promise!” He said finally. “One of us will become the galaxy’s greatest swordsman.” He handed her her own white-sheathed blade, “if you’re going to be my rival, we’ll have to get at least that far!”

She wiped the tears out of her eyes and managed a smile. “My kismesis? The greatest swordsman? Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself, three horns?” She lifted her hand to his own, and they gripped each other’s hands. “It’s a promise. One of us will be the best. We can’t ever lose.”

“Never.” Zorroe agreed. And they sat down together, smiling and squeezing their hands painfully together.

_-2-2-2-2-_

Zorroe stared at the corpse, unbelieving, green tears welling up in his eyes. “n-no…” He whispered.

“She fell down the stairs during the day.” Master said sadly, his own eyes reddened from brown tears. “…And died.”

He stood there for a few seconds, shaking. “…We made that promise just last night…” He whispered. “YOU @#$%!!! BOTH OF US MADE THAT PROMISE! ONE OF US HAD TO BE THE GREATEST!” He shouted, tears flowing freely. He stared at her, shaking with anger, before turning to his Master. “…Master… could you give me Kuinah’s sword?” He asked, barely audibly.

His Master merely nodded, giving the white-sheathed blade, Meito Wado Ichimonji, to the young troll.

“…I… I am going to be the greatest! I am going to be the greatest swordsman in the galaxy, greater than any before me! I’ll be so famous even the afterlife will know about my strength!” He growled.

_-2-2-2-2-_

It was a strange situation he was in, now that he thought about it. The sunlight burned on his skin, making it sizzle with pain. But it was nothing. He would endure. He could endure anything, would experience pain and wounds the likes of which no other troll would ever experience, for the sake of his goal.

But as the guns were leveled at him, his throat tightened. He couldn’t die here. Wouldn’t die here. For the sake of his goal. He strained against the wood, against the sunlight, against the chains, but it was no use. The wood splintered slightly under his monstrous strength, but wouldn’t break. “I’ll kill all of you!” Zorroe roared, his eyes widening as the marine drones cocked their guns.

“Fire!” Declared the Highblood with an axe attached to the stump of his arm. And the bullets came.

And they bounced away.

Zorroe stared in wonder at the widely grinning troll standing in front of him, three swords strapped to his back, with his arms outstretched to protect him. “Hey!” He greeted happily. “I wasn’t sure which sword to get, so I just grabbed them all.”

“…T-they’re all mine.” He said, watching as the rust-blood’s skin sizzled in the sun. It didn’t seem to bother him. “I use ‘three-sword-style.’”

“Cool!”

The Highblood in the sunsuit growled. “If the bullets don’t work, slice him apart!” he roared, the drones charging toward them brandishing swords.

“Quick! Unlock me!” Zorroe growled.

“I’m trying!” Luffey whined, resorting to biting at the lock.

The drones were getting closer. “Then give me my swords!” Luffey wasted no time, and in an instant the chains fell to the ground, the drones held in place by Zorroe’s three bladed lock.

“…Listen. I don’t care if I have to join your stupid fatal role-playing game.” He said, staring straight ahead at him. “I don’t really care about my reputation, as long as the fact that I’ll be the best swordsman to ever live is the key part of it. I have a goal; to murder Mihawk and become the greatest and most recognized swordsman in the galaxy!” He narrowed his eyes. “And if you interfere with that goal, if you hinder me from that, I’ll make you cut open your own filthy maroon mutant stretch-skinned belly.”

“Shihehehehe… you’ll have to be. If you’re going to be a member of the Gamblignant King’s crew, if you couldn’t accomplish something as small as being recognized as the ‘greatest swordsman in the galaxy’ you’d embarrass me.” He grinned widely. “Welcome to the Strawhat crew. Say… Do you believe in luck?” Luffey asked, pulling out five five-sided die that glowed with strange power in one hand, and whipping back the other arm to stretch into the distance.

“No.” Zorroe said with a grin, dicing the drones behind him and turning on the axe-handed subjuggulator-to-be. “But I believe in fate. Is that close enough?”

“I’ll make do.” Luffey cried cheerfully. The fist came back, launching a drone into the air, and the dice fell. 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. The Keeper and the Navigator

_"Crocus Dorobo, the Keeper, come with us!"_

_"I can't do that. Who will man the lighthouse?"_

_Gold walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Crocus. Haven't you ever wanted to see the rest of the ocean? Think about it. You can search for the Rumbar Pirates with us, for Laboon."_

_Silver grunted from his spot on the Lighthouse wall. "And you can keep an eye on Rouger's condition."_

_"Hey! Ryuuma, you don't have to worry about me." The Maroon blooded captain shouted back jovially. Turning back toward the lighthouse keeper he gripped his hands together over Crocus' and gave his widest smile possible. "Come on, Crocus, travel with us!"_

_The brownblood looked over his shoulder at the colossal whale Lusus towering over the lighthouse._

_"...Laboon, you're big enough that you can take care of yourself... right?"_

_"BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"_

_Rouger smiled. "I think that's an affirmative."_

_Crocus looked at the whale and then back at the strange gathering of trolls in front of him, shaking his head slightly in resignation. They had only stayed a few weeks, but already they felt like comrades to him. He looked back at the Captain. The disease he had was serious. A Maroon-blood's lifespan was less than two dozen sweeps, usually much less. At 18 sweeps the Captain was pushing it, and the disease wasn't helping by any degree. Crocus sighed. Being a doctor was an odd, almost useless profession by many troll's standards._

_The common mentality was; 'If you were weak, the disease won.' Or perhaps, simpler, 'if you were weak enough to get a disease, you should be culled.'_

_But some took interest in Troll biology, and Crocus' mind had always been one for the sciences. Cartography, navigation, biology, medicine, even a bit of meteorology. He could keep Rouger alive. Not long, but long enough._

_And if it would help him track down the Rumbar Pirates, it would benefit him even more. He was obliged after all, considering the sweeps of companionship Laboon had given him, a simple circumnavigation of the deadliest seas known to Troll was barely scratching the surface of what he owed to this whale._

_-3-3-3-3-_

_Crocus paddled slowly back to shore._

_The Gamblignant King had disbanded his crew._

_He had paid him for his services._

_And then Rouger turned himself in._

_Crocus sighed, rubbing the murky brown dismay fluid from his eyes. He looked on and saw the massive white tower that was Laboon. He had grown even larger during his two-sweep voyage._

_"Hey there, Laboon."_

_"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"_

_He grinned and sad grin. "I missed you too, Laboon."_

_"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?"_

_"...No. I'm sorry, Laboon."_

_The whale stopped moving, an eerie silence filling the water. "BOOOOOOOO?"_

_"...We looked and looked and I never saw them." He tried to keep his smile up. "They were attacked... one half perished in the calm belt... one half disappeared before reaching the red line..."_

_" **BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO** "_

_"Laboon!" Crocus shouted as the whale headbutted the massive stone wall, the earth shuddering with the impact. "Stop that! Laboon!" He screamed. "Stop it! They're gone, don't you understand that?!"_

__" **BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO** "_ _

_"Laboon!" Crocus shouted. "I'm grieving here too!" He shouted, "Don't you dare hurt yourself right in front of me!"_

_The Lusus stopped, massive violet tears falling from it's eyes._

_"I'm sorry."_

_"BOOOOOOOOO."_

_-3-3-3-3-_

Namizo Dorobo looked up into the sky, smiling at the clouds. Her horns tingled as the air temperature shifted over the cold Alternian night sky, and the clouds shifted a little with them. She held up her arms to the sky and giggled as she took the feeling in. 

"Nami!" Her hivemate, Nojiko called. "What are you doing over here?! Don't you know we have work to do!"

"I'm watching the clouds!" Nami called back, smiling. "It's going to rain in a few hours!"

Nojiko growled slightly, pinching the ridge of her nose. "Then isn't it even more important we get our jobs done now?!"

"Fine!" Namizo said, sticking out her tongue in response, rushing over to join her older 'sister'.

Actually, even by troll definition, being another descendent of the same ancestor, they weren't sisters. They had something deeper than that. Nojiko's long, twisty horns and cerulean blood-symbol was completely different from Namizo's asymmetrical horns and chocolate blood-symbol. 

They weren't exactly Moirails, but they balanced each other. 

The two of them finished their chores, and then climbed the hill to their hive, a small, run-down shelter. One with a mostly scratched-out maroon symbol above the door. 

"Bell-mère!" The two of them cried as they entered, "We're home!"

"Dyeow." ' _welcome'_ The feline lusus greeted, curled up in a ball in a stray moonbeam. 

"Hello there, girls!" cried the most common houseguest, Genzou, from higher up. "I was just helping Bell-mère tidy up in here. But I think I'll be going right about now." 

' _thank you Genzou.'_

The maroon blood with a pinwheel in his cap frowned slightly at the sound of three stomachs growling. "...Or perhaps I could eat my dawn-meal here today."

' _Genzou...'_  Bell-mère warned. 

"No, no, it's fine." He said, opening his rucksack and pulling out one food item after another, placing them on the table. "You can pay me back later."

He set the two plates for Namizo and Nojiko, who murmured 'thank-you's and dug into the meat and oranges, before setting a plate next to Bell-mère. 

"Dyeeow." ' _thank you, Genzou.'_ Bell-mère said, before getting up and carrying her plate toward the Meal Vault. _  
_

"I expect you to eat something too, Bell-mère." Genzou said, both girls looking up and frowning at their adoptive Lusus making her way to the Meal-Vault to store the food.

"Bell-mère!" Nojiko said, frowning. "You were going to save that for me and Nami, weren't you?"

Bell-mère gave a slightly guilty-looking grin, ' _don't worry about it... I'm on a diet! Oranges are enough for me.'_ Nojiko and Nami glanced at each other before pushing their own dishes away. The lusus let out a sigh and shook her head slightly. ' _Girls, it's important you eat! Genzou gave us these meals out of the goodness of his bloodpumper-'_

"I actually said you could pay me back la-"

 _'THE GOODNESS. OF. HIS BLOOD. PUMPER.'_ She repeated. _'You will not waste this food!'_

"But you're not eating!" Nojiko complained. "...Just because we don't have much money doesn't mean you have to spend it all on us!"

' _Nojiko-'_

"Is that true Bell-mère?" Nami asked. 

' _No, no, I'm just on a diet-'_

Nojiko sighed, getting up from her spot. "I'm not hungry... you can save this for tomorrow." 

Nami and Bell-mère watched her leave for her room, and Genzou coughed once into his hands. "I'll just be going. Namizo, you be good."

"I will!" Genzou stared at her and Bell-mère for a second before walking outside. 

_-3-3-3-3-_

Nami took off running, holding the book close to her chest, moving as fast as she could. 

Genzou was storming after her, using his psychic powers to try and grab her, but only catching air. She made it halfway up the hill before he grabbed her, and proceeded to march the rest of the way up himself. 

He knocked on the door and cleared his throat. "Bell-mère!" 

The door opened and the thin feline greeted them with a smile. ' _Hello Nami! Back home already?'._

"Don't, 'back home already' us! She stole another book!"

' _Thank you for paying for it Genzou.'_ She said cheerfully, taking Namizo gently from his arms. 

"This needs to stop, Bell-mère, what if she starts thinking she can steal from Highbloods?!"

' _Don't you remember being that young? You used to steal all the time.'_

"Don't encourage her! ...Just don't let it happen again." Genzou sighed and began the trek back down the hill to the town. 

The two watched Genzou go back down the hill, before Bell-mère carried Namizo into the hive, closing the door behind her. ' _Namizo Dorobo, what have I told you about stealing?'_

"I'm sorry Bell-mère, I just really needed this book!" She pulled it open, before rushing upstairs, and stampeding down just as fast with a pile of papers caught in her claw's grasp. "Look! Look!"

The cat lusus scoured over the pages, smiling softly. "Nya." ' _You've gotten talented.'_

"I'm going to make a map of the whole world!"

' _And this is the first step, huh?'_

"So, Nami, you got caught again, huh?" Nojiko asked, leaning in the doorway. " _I_ wouldn't have gotten caught!"

The lusus shook her head, twitching her tail in an analogue for chuckling. ' _Don't steal. I didn't raise you two to be culled for being petty thieves...'_ She looked at Nami. ' _You should have told me you needed this book, I would have gotten it for you.'_

"But you don't have any money!" Nami protested.

' _I could have brought something together.'_ She said. 

"We can't even afford new clothes!" Nami rebutted. 

"Nami-" Nojiko warned. 

"No! It's because of us Bell-mère can't go back and get a new troll to take care of, and get money, and be able to take care of herself!"

' _Nami!'_ Bell-mère nearly screeched.  _'How dare you say that! I am your custodian! And you are my trolls!'_

"We're not your real trolls! We don't even have the same blood! She's not my sister! You're not the lusus who pulled me from the caves!"

 _'That doesn't matter!'_ Bell-mère affirmed, stamping a paw.

Nami's eyes began to water with murky brown Dismay Fluid. "I wish a brown-blooded Lusus would take care of me!"

Bell-mère's eyes widened and she turned around. ' _FINE. GO THEN, IF YOU HATE THIS PLACE SO MUCH!'_

"Nami!" Nojiko shouted as Namizo took off out the doors, crying. She turned back to her custodian, seeing the diluted burgundy tears falling to the floor next to the cat. "Bell-mère, you didn't really mean that, did you?"

The lusus looked back at her remaining charge and sighed. ' _Nojiko... sometimes I think you're the most mature out of the three of us... would you go bring Nami back? I'm going to prepare something special for dinner.'_

"Of course Bell-mère." Nojiko said, jumping out to chase after Nami.

_-3-3-3-3-_

"So... you run away from home, and you decide to come here?" Genzou asked, looking at the small troll girl bunched up in the frame of his hive window. 

"...Bell-mère..."

"Hm?"

"She'd be better off if she had never adopted Nojiko and me..."

Genzou shook his head slightly. "Do you really believe that?"

"She gave up on the money from the drones by not going back and taking another red blood troll kid... she has to live in that breaking-down house, and has to live on the oranges and what she gets from your pity... her life would be better without us."

"That's not true." Genzou smiled as Namizo gave him an incredulous look. "Her previous troll... he went to join a war organized by the local Highblood. She went with him... it was many times worse than they thought. Her troll died... an' she was heavily wounded. She dragged herself out of the battleground, coming to a village that had been engulfed earlier on in the war." He took a breath and looked at Nami. His eyes meeting hers in full. "She wasn't going to make it, and she laid down on the ground to wait until she died. That's when a two-sweep old blueblood marched to her, carrying a brownblood girl, barely out of the caves, laughing in her arms."

"...Bell-mère told me she found me underneath a bridge..."

Genzou shook his head. "Neither of you had your Lusus. Both had died in the conflict, leaving you alone in the world. But that little cerulean-blooded girl took pity on you and brought you with her... and that lusus took pity on the both of you. It gave her back the will to live. The bond the three of you share is thicker than blood." He shrugged. "At least in my opinion."

Nami sniffled a little, and Genzou helped her down. At that moment Nojiko pushed the door open and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you're here Nami... Bell-mère wanted to apologize but-"

"N-no... I'm the one who should apologize..."

A sudden scream halted her words as the three of them turned towards the source of the noise. 

"PIRATES!" Came another shout. 

Genzou turned towards the two girls and hurried them to the back of the house. "Go! Quickly, hide in the forest outside town!"

"What about Bell-mère?!"

"I'll go check on her! Go!"

_-3-3-3-3-_

 The ship came to a grinding halt on the shore, before the docking board slid down and crushed a nearby hive. The lowbloods of the village watched in horror as more sea dwellers than they had ever seen in their lives marched down the board, led by a simply massive sea-dweller with jagged, saw-like horns. "YOU LOWBLOOD SCUM!!" He roared. "LISTEN UP! FROM NOW ON THIS VILLAGE, NO, THIS _ISLAND_ , IS _PROPERTY_ OF THE _**ARLONG PIRATES**_!"

The lowbloods took off from their houses, hiding anything possibly considered valuable, but not before the faster, stronger violet-bloods caught up with them, throwing them bodily back into the village streets. 

Arlong, the massive seadweller, marched through the village, eyeing them one by one. "Alright? Is everyone gathered?" Arlong asked another close by seadweller. 

"yessir."

"GOOD!" He shouted, turning back toward the village. "ALRIGHT, POND SCUM, HERE ARE THE RULES!" He made a gesture and the seadweller gamblignants marched out with bags.  "Every troll needs to pay 100,000 credit every sixteenth-sweep. And 50,000 for every living Lusus." He gave a wide shark grin. "And because of how MERCIFUL I'M FEELING AROUND NOW, I'm only killing those who don't pay up."

The trolls murmured for a few seconds before Arlong stamped a foot. "Well? Didn't any of you hear me? BRING OUT THE MONEY! Anyone caught skimping will be killed, fed to our lusus, or sold as _paint_." And with that, there was a burst of activity as trolls rushed to acquire as much money as possible. 

Namizo and Nojiko watched from the forest as the seadwellers made their rounds, holding their breaths in fear until it was over. Arlong and the other seadwellers went over the money gathered and made to move on to the next town on the island. "Did you find any maps?" Arlong asked one of them. 

"No, sorry boss. It seems these guys don't care much about the outside world."

"Eh, we'll find some decent ones eventually." The seadweller said, shrugging. "Come on, we're moving on to the next town."

Genzou let out a silent breath of relief. Glancing up the hill, before freezing in place at the sight of smoke rising from the hill.

"Hey, Arlong-"

Genzou's throat tightened as he felt, deep in his horns, as the highbloods turned their attention toward the hill. 

"-we almost missed that house."

Arlong's grin got wider and sharper. "So we did. I hope they got our message."

  _-3-3-3-3-_

Arlong walked calmly up the hill, approaching the door of the house they had almost missed.

He was about to knock when the door was forced open on him, the lusus forcing him to the ground and baring her fangs. She growled as she bit further into his neck. Arlong merely laughed, reaching up and grabbing the scruff of her shoulder, yanking her off of him and throwing the feline to the ground, before stamping on her foreleg. 

Arlong continued to force his leg down, the lusus screaming in pain. "So... we have a lusus here... but where's her troll? COME ON OUT!" He screamed, the hive's foundation shaking slightly. 

Genzou, out of breath from running, made his way up to join them. "She-she's my lusus."

Arlong raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Alright then. Will you be paying for her?"

"Yes, just give me a second to get together the 50,000..." He said, making his way into the hive. 

"No... 200,000. For your trickery. It's only fair."

"Y-yes..."

_-3-3-3-3-_

Namizo and Nojiko rushed up the hill from the opposite side, hoping to beat Arlong there and warn Bell-mère.

But one of the trolls from the village stopped them, forcing them both to the ground. "Stop it! Neither of you should have to watch this..." The two girls winced as they heard Bell-mère howl in pain. 

"Bell-mère!" Nojiko shouted, before the troll covered her mouth. 

"Listen, the both of you, there's no way to prove Bell-mère is your lusus, so if the both of you run away, right now, and get off the island, you'll be safe... we have no way to save all three of you."

Nami began crying, the dismay liquid beginning to trickle from her eyes for the third time that night. "Why do we have to go? Because she's not our blood-lusus? Because we don't have enough money?"

"Nami, we don't have time to argue! You two have to leave, or you'll die, all three of you!"

"I... I understand... come on Namizo... we're leaving."

"What?!" Nami growled. 

"This is the only way to keep Bell-mère safe!" Nojiko said, grabbing the younger troll and dragging her toward the coast. 

They both stopped when Bell-mère began speaking in a low tone, the language of lusus. ' _That money... is for my trolls.'_

Arlong didn't seem to notice, grabbing the money and putting it in the bag. One of the other seadwellers tapped his shoulder and motioned toward the hive. "There's a meal for three in there. One lusus, two trolls."

"Oh? I wonder why that is?"

' _That money... is for my trolls.'_  Bell-mère repeated. 

Arlong narrowed his eyes. "What is it saying?" A pair of jaws appeared from his strife specibus to his hands. "And don't lie to me, lowblood. I CAN SMELL IT."

"Sh-she said-" His eyes widened as Bell-mère gave him a death glare. "... that the money... is for her trolls."

"Trolls?"

"Two... girls... both barely three sweeps, please don't-"

"Bell-mère!" Nami shouted, running past the guard and hugging Bell-mère. Nojiko stood there a second before running up as well. 

"So... it looks like payment has been made for only the trolls." Arlong began, raising the shark-jaws in his hands toward Bell-mère. "Sorry."

' _Namizo, Nojiko, back away.'_ The two of them did as the lusus asked, backing away slowly. ' _Namizo... Nojiko... I love you.'_  and she charged. 

Nami screamed. Nojiko screamed. 

Bell-mère was dead.

Arlong smirked. 

_-3-3-3-3-_

"Arlong! There are maps in here!"

"Hm?"

"Lot of them! And they're good!"

Nami stood up, her eyes glazing over, and her horns began to tingle. 

A storm was coming. 

She wasn't sure whether she was causing it or predicting it. 

"Nami- don't!" Nojiko hissed, but Nami ran forward.

"Those are mine!!"

"Oh? You made them, filthblood?" He grabbed her in one hand and lifted her over his head. "Then we'll be taking you with."

"NO! DON'T YOU DARE YOU @#$%ING FISH! THEY ALREADY PAID THEIR MONEY!"

"I'm just borrowing her." Arlong said, shrugging. 

"Genzou! Help me!" Nami called.

The maroonblood charged at Arlong, his eyes glowing red as he went. 

"Kabuto. Kill him'."

Nami stared in horror as a seadweller blocked Genzou, summoned a blade, and backed off as Genzou seemed to explode with burgundy-red slashes.

The lowbloods of the village were now marching up the hill en masse, responding to the screams. They were carrying their weapons, their eyes glowing. 

Arlong merely smiled. "Don't be too rough on em'. They're still good for money-milking in the future."

Nami watched, horrified, as the villagers attacked Arlong's pirates, and were pushed down in waves. They were calling for Nami, for Nojiko, for Genzou.

"Please! Please stop! Don't try to save me!" Nami pleaded, watching as the battle grew around them, before simply covering her eyes and crying. 

_-3-3-3-3-_

Nojiko was sitting in the house alone. Trolls didn't traditionally bury their dead, but Bell-mère's body had been taken care of, buried under the orange grove she and her adopted custodials had spent sweeps taking care of, to feed the trees.

Nami had been gone for nights. 

Genzou was still recovering. It was miraculous, considering, but he  _would_  recover. 

Nojiko sighed, watching the moons slowly move across the sky. 

The trolls in the village were angry. They wanted revenge. Their blood-pushers beat with the single emotion of platonic hatred for the Arlong pirates. As soon as Genzou had healed, they were going to march on Arlong's base and wipe them out. 

Or they would die trying. 

Nojiko sighed, climbing into her recuperacoon alone for the first time. Lowbloods didn't usually band together. But they had all been wronged, all of them had, at one time or another, pitied Namizo. All of them had their money taken away.

There would be blood soon. And the village wouldn't survive one way or another.

Until something even more horrific happened. 

Nojiko stared in disbelief, the next day, at her sister walking home, a huge bundle of money in her hands, and a purple insignia died into her shirt, covering her own chocolate symbol. 

"Nami?" She asked, staring at the symbol.

Genzou was relieved, grabbing her and picking her up. "Nami! Oh thank goodness you're alright!"

"Let me go..." She whispered, not reacting even as Genzou set her back down. "I... I've..."

"What's wrong? What did they do to you? Are you hurt-"

"I've joined their group."

The town suddenly became silent. 

Her horns tingled. Another type of storm.

"I'm going to draw maps for them... and in return... they gave me this." She raised the money in her hand slightly. Nojiko stared at the dried specks of burgundy on the top bill.

Nojiko grabbed Genzou and nearly tossed him to the side, despite being younger, her strength was greater than his. She pushed Nami to the ground, her eyes watering and face contorting in rage. "Y-you betrayed us! How can you join those monsters! They killed Bell-mère!"

"Th-they told me-"

Genzou stared for the first time at the purple mark. 

"...If I live justly, and die like Bell-mère..." Nami began, brown tears welling up from her eyes. "...I'd rather be bad... and live."

"Nami!" Genzou growled. "Get out of here. I don't want to see your face in this village ever again!"

Nami crawled away from Nojiko, and simply started running for the hill. Nojiko watched, pain gripping her chest as her sister ran back the way she came.

_-3-3-3-3-_

It had been three sweeps since that day.

Namizo watched as the young troll fell from the sky, blocking the three brutes from catching her. She turned tail, expecting the unlucky and improbable troll to serve as a few seconds' distraction. Even calling back "Thanks boss!" As she ran, to divert their anger to him. But as she heard the sound of fists colliding with faces, and multiple, different grunts, rather than one scream of pain, she stopped and turned back, seeing the troll from the sky dust himself off and place his hat back on his head. 

The three cerulean-bloods were on the ground, moaning.

"Uh..." Nami said, dumbly, having no idea what to say in this situation.

"Oh! Hi there, were these guys friends of yours?"

"N-no! Not at all, just some thugs, trying to rough me up..." She forced a smile. "You're pretty strong!" She eyed him up and down. He looked like an idiotic type, with big, innocent eyes. She glanced at the burgundy-red symbol on his shirt, a jagged line, resembling a crown, over a line, with a sideways 'D' underneath. 

A maroon blood, even lower than her. 

And strong. Useful even. 

"I'm Nami." She said, offering her hand. "Would you like to work for me? As a bodyguard?"

"What do you do?" He asked, a grin on his face. 

"I'm a thief who only steals from FLARPers."

"Oh. No thanks then."

"Why? Scared of them? They're just like any other trolls you know, except they travel more." 'and the lack of any basic moral principles' she added, in her mind.

"Nope! I'm one myself, a Gamblignant."

She frowned, eyeing him once again. "...You got mad when they hit that hat... is it expensive?"

"No."

"Then does it have a map or something in there?"

"Nope!"

She had no idea what she was getting herself into.

_-3-3-3-3-_

And she didn't regret a second of it. She watched, her heart breaking and rehealing and breaking all over again, as the shreds of paper spilled out of the top room of Arlong Park. 

She had betrayed them. 

She had betrayed the village. 

But they went back to her. They forgave her. They were fighting for her. She watched from the sidelines as Arlong Park was ripped to shreds, occasionally seeing an extending limb smash through the walls. Or see one of many jaws being flung through the air. 

Finally, it was quiet. She joined the crowd, holding onto the hat her Captain had bestowed on her, coming closer.

"What happened to Luffey?" Ussopu asked. 

The crowd cheered, as one of the stones was moved, and a bloodied and battered Luffey rose from the rubble.

" _ **NAMI!!!**_ " He shouted. " _ **YOU ARE MY COMRADE!!!!**_ "

"Yes!" She shouted back, brown tears running down her face. "Yes I am!"

 

 


End file.
